Elephants in protected areas bordering Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang and Pursat provinces on May 25. Environment Ministry
On the occasion of World Elephant Day on August 12, a senior Ministry of Environment official appealed for an end to the decimation of elephant populations as they are a critically endangered species.
In a message marking the event, ministry secretary of state Neth Pheaktra said Asian elephants are critically endangered due to poaching, conflict between humans encroaching on elephant habitat and domestication.
Pheaktra called for an end to all activities that endanger elephants, especially to encroachment their habitats.
“We all need to be involved in protecting and conserving elephants,” he said.
Pheaktra said Cambodia has been “actively” involved with the rest of the world in conserving the world’s remaining elephant population that is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
He said there are currently about 400 to 600 Asian elephants in Cambodia, most of which live in the Cardamom Mountains, the northern plateau of the Tonle Sap and the eastern highlands of Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces, which are ecosystems rich in biodiversity and habitats suitable for the survival of elephants and other wildlife. The number of domestic elephants is estimated at more than 70.
Pheaktra cited a study in which experts indicated that in the last 60 to 70 years, the population of Asian elephants in the world has dropped by about 50 per cent, while nearly 90 per cent of their habitats has been lost. Of the 39,463 to 47,427 Asian elephants living in the wild, about 75 per cent live in India and Sri Lanka.
He said habitat degradation has fragmented Asian elephants and negatively impacted the long-term stability of this important species. Asian elephants live in herds in Cambodia’s protected areas and have many offspring.
The presence of small elephant calves in large herds is the hope of conservationists and environmentalists, Pheaktra added.
“Illegal encroachment on state forest land has affected elephants’ habitats, foraging areas and water sources,” he said. “Wild elephant calves are under threat because of trapping and domestication, and small wild elephant herds also present a threat,” he said.
According to a report by the environment ministry, thousands of elephant tusks and horns of rhinoceros weighing more than five tonnes have been confiscated by Cambodian authorities and stored in safe places.
Pheaktra told The Post on August 12 that his ministry will continue to educate citizens to avoid disturbing elephants.
“We are working with local authorities to drive the elephants back into the wild. In the past, like in Ratanakkiri and Mondulkiri, elephants always return to their previous habitats, because elephants are a rolling food foraging species.”
The World Wide Fund for Nature in Cambodia (WWF Cambodia) said on August 12 that a group of wildlife researchers from Mondulkiri provincial environment department and WWF Cambodia recently concluded their Asian elephant survey. The team collected a total of 85 fresh dung samples of the mammal for further genetic analysis at a lab of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, with the hope for results in the next six months.
“The effort will provide the research team with evidence that will help understand the movements of Asian elephants within and between protected areas in Cambodia’s eastern plains and neighbouring countries,” it said.
The result of fecal DNA-based surveys, conducted in 2009 and 2015, showed an estimated population of more than 300 Asian elephants in the eastern plains of Mondulkiri province, said WWF Cambodia. It is the largest population of Asian elephant in Cambodia.
